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“Feelings are not facts; they can be highly unreliable.”

A thought by Rick Warren from his book, God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions (Living with Purpose) (p. 47). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Are you sure, Bill?  Are you sure?

Rick says, “This is called emotional reasoning, and it is destructive. It is the ‘I feel it, so it must be true’ idea. Musicians, athletes, and TV stars—to name a few—know that often after a performance they feel as though they’ve flopped. Yet they also know that they must learn to ignore those feelings because feelings aren’t always true. Feelings are not facts; they can be highly unreliable.”

He goes on, “For instance, a few weeks after I had been married to Kay, I woke up one morning and said, ‘You know, honey, I just don’t feel married.’ She replied, ‘It doesn’t matter, buddy. You are!’

“I don’t always feel close to God either, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m far away from him. I don’t always feel like a Christian, but I am one. Feelings often lie, so when we focus on our feelings rather than on the facts, we are going to get into trouble. For instance, after we have made a mistake in one area, we tend to feel as if we are total failures in life. That’s a misconception. Everyone is entitled to make mistakes, and we can fail in some areas without being a failure as a person.

“Most psychologists believe that one key to health is to get your feelings out in the open. Become aware. Vent your feelings. Get them out. But that’s not the complete answer, because feelings are unreliable. The Bible doesn’t tell us to get in touch with our feelings but to get in touch with the truth, because it’s the truth that sets us free (John 8:32).”

Later Rick says, “You don’t have to go through life being manipulated by your emotions. Your emotions are controlled by your thoughts, and you can control what you think about. You can choose to change your thoughts and thus indirectly control your emotions. Let God change those harmful misconceptions, such as:

“‘If somebody criticizes me, it means I’m worthless.’ ‘I must be loved and accepted by everybody to be fulfilled in life.’ ‘I cannot admit any area of weakness; I have to be perfect or else I’m a failure.’”

Rick says, “Jesus knew the importance of correct thinking when he said, ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:32). The more you know Jesus, the freer you will be… With Christ in your life, you do have the power to change. He wants to be a vital part of your life, and if you give him control, he will help you. Once he is in your life, ask him to give you a new purpose and a new meaning in living.”

He doesn’t want us to be controlled by our feelings but by the truth and Jesus is the Truth.   If you haven’t asked him to come into your life, would you do so today?  Would you? 

Yes, yes!
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